# Anti-school movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 20, 2004, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-school-movies/265106 "2004-09-20T07:53:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-school-movies/265106/1 "2004-09-20T07:53:48Z")
With the passing of Johnny Ramone the other day, I thought back to the classic movie “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School”. Like many Roger Corman movies it was camp and unevenly edited, but nevertheless very entertaining. After all, it ended with the students blowing up their school. You’ve got to love that! (Except you couldn’t do it now, because somebody would actually blow up his school, and there’d be lawsuits, etc.) The only other anti-school movie I could think of is “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”. There must be others. Well, there’s “Animal House”, but I didn’t find college to be as soul-devouring as public schools, so it didn’t make the same spark with me. Funny movie though, especially will they kill USC’s horse. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-school-movies/265106/2 "2004-09-20T07:56:28Z")
Three O’Clock High Heathers Jawbreakers Mean Girls Buffy the Vampire Slayer Saved! Election ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-school-movies/265106/3 "2004-09-20T09:00:49Z")
My boarding school in England showed us ‘if’ as part of the Saturday night film nights. It’s about these schoolboys led by Malcolm McDowell who run riot (machine guns if I remember correctly) and seduce the headmaster’s missus. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-school-movies/265106/4 "2004-09-20T12:44:04Z")
The Blackboard Jungle. Based on the excellent first novel by Evan Hunter. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-school-movies/265106/5 "2004-09-20T12:47:59Z")
I suppose the Harry Potter movies could be descibed as anti-school, at least to a certain extent; although Hogwarts definitely _is_ a school, the curriculum seems somewhat leisurely, the rules malleable and the teachers’ authority questionable. Oh, and they get to stuff their faces with _really nice_ food (although perhaps being _magical_ food, it not only tastes nice, but is good for you too). ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-school-movies/265106/6 "2004-09-21T05:35:12Z")
Up the Down Staircase ---
**Author:** ![Already\_in\_Use](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@Already\_in\_Use](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Already_in_Use)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-school-movies/265106/7 "2004-09-21T06:47:29Z")
There are tons of rock/rap music videos involving the artist’s taking over a high school, but the one I’ve really enjoyed is Devo’s “Jocko Homo” sequence, which takes place in a medical school. Such a small step from “Rebel against your parents! Sniff glue! Give teachers the finger!” to “Science is wrong! Man descends from brain-eating apes! Evolution is reversing!” And yet such a giant leap. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-school-movies/265106/8 "2004-09-21T09:19:57Z")
Dazed and Confused. There’s another one from years ago ('80’s) that involved kids in a new mass-developement rich suburb, that just ran amok. Towards the end the kids lock the parents in the school during a PTA meeting about the kids getting out of hand. It ended with most of the leaders on a prison bus and the star looking back to a smiling girlfriend waving to him and he was smiling during the closing shot. Anyone remember this one? I’m racking my brain, it’s on the tip of my tongue, and I’m coming up empty. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-school-movies/265106/9 "2004-09-21T14:11:19Z")
Lord of the Flies. Taps. Breakfast Club. ---
**Author:** ![ZeroGyro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47774/32.png) [@ZeroGyro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZeroGyro)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-school-movies/265106/10 "2004-09-21T14:41:17Z")
“if…” was influenced by Jean Vigo’s “Zéro de conduite.” Speaking of French films, Francois Truffaut’s “Les Quatre cents coups” (The 400 Blows) was also heavily influenced by Vigo, but the movie only focuses about half its time in school. ---
**Author:** ![ColonelDax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@ColonelDax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColonelDax)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-school-movies/265106/11 "2004-09-21T16:23:24Z")
> [@duffer](#): > > There’s another one from years ago ('80’s) that involved kids in a new mass-developement rich suburb, that just ran amok. Towards the end the kids lock the parents in the school during a PTA meeting about the kids getting out of hand. It ended with most of the leaders on a prison bus and the star looking back to a smiling girlfriend waving to him and he was smiling during the closing shot. Are you by any chance thinking of _Over the Edge_, Matt Dillon’s 1979 feature film debut? Been ages since I’ve seen it, but IIRC the kids try to burn down or blow up the school while the parents are locked inside. Oddly enough, I was thinking of replying to this thread yesterday by mentioning that one, but decided not to make the post in the end. Of course, that’s a matter for yet another thread asking people if they’ve composed posts and then left them unposted … ---
**Author:** ![JoeSki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b487fb/32.png) [@JoeSki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeSki)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-school-movies/265106/12 "2004-09-21T17:06:22Z")
Dead Poets Society was rather anti school. ---
**Author:** ![JerH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bb73d2/32.png) [@JerH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerH)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-school-movies/265106/13 "2004-09-21T17:10:34Z")
How about _Pump Up The Volume_? It had all the attributes of a great high school movie: disaffected loner, unconventional girlfriend, the suicide of a student that we never learn much about, parents who don’t understand, and evil administrators who care only about their positions. Truly, a hallmark of teenage school comedies. Plus, Samantha Mathis takes her top off. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-school-movies/265106/14 "2004-09-21T18:09:25Z")
The Chocolate War Heaven Help Us My Bodyguard Hairspray ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-school-movies/265106/15 "2004-09-21T18:12:50Z")
Carry On Teacher? I’ll get me coat… ---
**Author:** ![ColonelDax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@ColonelDax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColonelDax)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-school-movies/265106/16 "2004-09-21T18:38:31Z")
_Carrie_. _Rebel Without a Cause_. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-school-movies/265106/17 "2004-09-21T19:08:50Z")
> [@ColonelDax](#): > > Are you by any chance thinking of _Over the Edge_, Matt Dillon’s 1979 feature film debut? Been ages since I’ve seen it, but IIRC the kids try to burn down or blow up the school while the parents are locked inside. Oddly enough, I was thinking of replying to this thread yesterday by mentioning that one, but decided not to make the post in the end. Of course, that’s a matter for yet another thread asking people if they’ve composed posts and then left them unposted … Yes! I wanted to say Matt Dillon but thought I was confusing it with another movie. If you guys want to see an anti-school flick, this is a forgotten gem. I’d recommend it. Thanks **ColonelDax** ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2004, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anti-school-movies/265106/18 "2004-09-21T22:12:18Z")
**The River’s Edge**